Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-09-23
NEW USES FOR WIRE CLOTH.
How II Is Taking the Place of other
Material in Number of Things.

Material in n Number of Things.
Wire cloth is an article which has but
recently been brought into general use.
For long time its high cost precluded
its use for almost every purpose but for
articles with at least some claims to be-
ing ornamental. The window and door
screens Of former days were usually
made of cotton netting, dyed in fancy
colors, and warranted not to last more
than one season, even with the utmost
care. The few wire screens that were
used were articles of such luxury that
they generally bore a printed landscape
or other pictorial representation to indi-
cate more strikingly their aristocratic
character. The housekeeper who would
have inserted such screens in every win
dow of her dwelling would have been an
object of wonder to an entire commu-
nifty for her colossal extravaganza.
Coarsely woven wire cloth was then used
for few purposes, principally for sleeves
and cellar window guards, but the total
quantity so used in year in the entire
country was insignificant.
Now, however, the wire cloth industry,
including the manufacture of large
meshed netting, is very important adj
junct of the wire trade, enormous guam
titles of such goods being made annually
in quite a considerable number of facto-
rles. The increased use of wire cloth and
its gradual reduction in price have gone
hand in hand, every year seeing more and
more dwellings furnished with screens
for windows and doors, not only IN mus
quito ridden districts. but in localities
whose greatest insect pest is the ordinary
house fly. Their general introduction
has also been greatly facilitated by the
efforts of ingenious and wide awake man
ufacturers to provide the means of making
the frames at low cost and with a mini
mum of mechanical skill. From all
these causes, and not because flies and
mosquitoes are greater pests than ever
BEFORE the present season has witnessed
the most active demand for wire cloth
ever known.
The use of wire cloth is also extending
in many other directions, as people grow
familiar with and note its adaptability
Threshing machine sieves were formerly
made of perforated metal, but large
meshed wire cloth is rapidly taking
its place, because the grain can fall
through the meshes of the cloth more
easily than through the perforated plate
with its holes necessarily some distance
apart. Corn cribs are being built with
sides and bottom made of heavy wire
cloth, which proves to be especially well
fitted for this purpose, as the air passes
through so easily and rats cannot gnaw it.
A number of such instances might be
given to show the widespread use of wire
cloth, but it is unnecessary. Two rather
strange means of utilizing it will end our
illustration. One of these is the prepara-
ton of surgical bandages. 1t has been
found that for this purpose wire cloth
has special merit 1t is stiff. obviating
the use of splints. 1t is open, ventilating
inflamed parts and allying irritation, and
it can be conforned to any special shape
with little difficulty. The other method
of using wire cloth is in the manufacture
of collins. A Chicago cotfinmaker uses
wire cloth as the body of his caskets, fill
ing in cement which rapidly hardens
and forms an almost indestructible re-
ceptacle for the dead, while it effectually
covers and conceals from view the ma
terial which holds it In place. Iron Age.